#BTColumn -The mysterious logic

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

We are not perfect. Every person on Earth tends to do evil. In recognition of this fact, we have civil and criminal laws to restrain us from doing wrongs that can harm others. Our politicians have the same evil tendencies. They are restrained by our Constitution.

Every Government administration is responsible for learning from the past, to improve the lives of the governed. People can improve their circumstances through relevant education, and the opportunity to benefit from their labour.

We are not improving when our secondary schools only benefit about 20 per cent of our students, and approximately 60 per cent of inmates at our prison did not finish secondary school.

We are not improving when most Barbadians live in hand-to-mouth poverty while being among the most heavily taxed persons on Earth.

Too Far Gone

Instead of addressing these critical matters, the Government decided that we are unproductive and psychologically damaged people, with low confidence and low self-esteem.

The Government has been deceived into believing that the only reason why we are in this sorry state is that we are not a Republic.

The last BLP administration, on their sacred honour, promised the people of Barbados that they would hold a referendum to get the people’s consent on becoming a Republic.

The current BLP administration believes that our self-esteem is too far gone to understand a referendum, so they plan to force Republicanism on us – whether we want it or not.

Familiar Pattern
When we were negotiating our Independence, we were described as hard-working, competent and individually independent people, with a very proud record of self-dependence.

We had a professional public service of mostly Barbadians, which was the envy of many advanced countries. We negotiated affordable loans and built infrastructure.

After 55 years of Independence, and the tragic politicization of our public services by our political leaders, they now describe us as a generally insecure, unhealthy and stupid people, who can only improve by destroying the statue of Nelson, destroying the NIS building, destroying our Constitution, becoming a Republic, and having extreme radical activists receive reparations on our behalf.

Constitutional Safeguards
Extreme radicals tend to have the same fatal flaw. Namely, their belief that their illusory utopia can only be achieved by destroying what exists. History shows that when extreme radicals successfully influence political power, no amount of horrific collateral damage will dissuade them from their path of destruction, and they do not tolerate dissent.

Our Constitution allows our Parliament to change most of it. But there are critical safeguards to protect Barbados from becoming a failed state. Instead of amending our Constitution to satisfy our radicals, our radicals have demanded that our Constitution be done away with, and another created – in their image alone. Based on their consistent record of successes with the current administration, they are likely to get what they want.

The Legacy
The Governor-General is in control of our: Defence Force, Police Force, Prison, and Auditor General – because these forces and agencies should never, under any circumstances, be politicised. This is part of the people’s insurance against internal threats. In a Republic, our Governor-General is supposed to give up all her executive authority and become a ceremonial non-executive President.

In a Republic, the Prime Minister will control all the rings. I do not expect Prime Minister Mottley to abuse her new powers – I believe she cares too much. But she would have paved the way for another Prime Minister to use: the Prime Minister’s Defence Force, the Prime Minister’s Police Force, and the Prime Minister’s Prison, to our harm. Further, a politicised Auditor General is a dangerous political weapon.

Misinformation
To justify the Republican nightmare that the Forde Commission warned Barbadians about if the Prime Minister’s power is not restrained, our extreme radicals are allowed to spread gross misinformation in our traditional media unchallenged.

They tell us that there was no referendum when we became Independent. The truth is that the referendum was in the form of a general election in October 1966, where the DLP campaigned on Independence. The DLP won and we became Independent the next month.

They assert that the BLP campaigned on making Barbados a Republic in their 2018 Manifesto. The truth is that they did not.
Despite the fact that this assertion is easily verifiable as false, our journalists appear terrified to do so.

They claim that the issue of Republicanism has been discussed for decades. Therefore, it is time to stop discussing and just do it. This is mysterious logic. Normally, when a matter has been discussed enough, the next logical step is to allow a vote on the matter?

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com